The Walls are Coming Down. Maybe not today or next week or next month but soon. Rory Dames was an ECNL gatekeeper. He was enabled in the youth game because he had the ECNL monopoly so players had to play for him. In an open system where players had a choice and everyone competed under the same umbrella, coaches like Dames would have way less influence because they would not be the perceived as the only choice in town. How often do you hear that players are only at a particular ECNL or GA or MLS club because, well, they have ECNL or GA or MLS. This story is going to blow up the system. The walls will fall. And the game and the players will be better for it.
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I completely agree. The crazy part if that the ECNL youth programs have been overlooked and riddled with abuse, coaches with sketchy backgrounds. ECNL is definitely in the hot seat and for our state PDA (with the most teams) should be panicked. They have years and years of verbal, emotional abuse to players, inappropriate communication with their players via text, coaches with very controversial backgrounds, no background checks on coaches. It is a matter of time that all these clubs will be audited.Originally posted by Guest View Post -
OMG, more pipe dreams. No other league has near the competition that ECNL has. It's actually GA that is about to fold. Two or three more prominent clubs moving to ECNL and it's over. GA clubs will move to USYS creating a much larger, more competitive and more valuable USYS system. This will also allow less fortunate families be part of the system as the cost will be less.
But, yeah, if you think ECNL is going to fall anytime soon, please lay off the drugs. Zero of the large clubs will be leaving unless ECNL kicks them out (which has only happened once in ECNL history).Comment
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Wishful thinking.Comment
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Originally posted by Guest View Post
How you can make the leap that this is an issue specific to a league is batsh*t crazy and just speaks to the tribalism that impacts all facets of life nowadays. If you think ECNL clubs are bad you do not want to know about how crazy MLSN can be in terms of "verbal and emotional abuse" like what his guy's been accused.Comment
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My kid plays ECNL and if the leagues all combined and we could reduce cost of travel I would be over the moon. No one needs to travel 4 hours for a league game.Comment
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The point is that ECNL is effectively a monopoly, and players "have" to play for the ECNL club. This enables abusers. It also enables other really bad things. Like expenses. Look how much our club fees at the ECNL clubs have gone up since your club became ECNL. And what about the crazy travel. Do you think it is normal to play games in Maryland when you can have the same competition in NJ if everyone played under the same umbrella? It also has destroyed the smaller clubs. Open competition is always better. God forbid that an ECNL club has to actually complete against other clubs in NJ.Comment
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This is hilarious. If USSF with all it's firepower couldn't unseat ECNL with GDA what makes you think it's going to happen now? Parents and clubs aren't held at gunpoint to chose a certain league or club. They have options, many in fact. But when you offer a superior product - even it it's only perceived - people will chose what they think is the better product. It's not a monopoly but consumer choice. If GAL clubs and the league had better coaching and competition then more would chose that - but they don'tComment
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There's more leagues because clubs want them - easier to avoid local competitors and risk losing paying customers. There's nothing to stop leagues from forming but if customers don't join it won't last long.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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What are the chances this thread was started by a GA parent/coach/admin?Comment
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Remember Lavers was an assistant for Dames.Comment
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Originally posted by Guest View Post
This is not about bad or good, competition or otherwise. This is about a bigger issue that is the abuse of players. Read the articles it is a very hot topic right NOW being heavily looked into it. Many pro players have come forward and there is a ton of negative attention. C. Press filed a lawsuit and has complaints dating back 7 years. And they cite the involvement of these coaches with youth ECNL teams.
Are you not realizing that big name coaches getting fired daily? You really think this won't trickle down? It is in the WSJ, Post, Reuters, NYT and all over social media. There is a TON of attention to this right now - never been to this extent. ECNL is very aware, involved and definitely being looked at as are all the big clubs nationwide. You are completely out of reality to think otherwise. It is just like the college scandals - everyone thought nothing would happen - until they were convicted and went to jail.
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Yet this same thread was posted on the MA thread where there's always a lot of Stars bashing and a local GAL club dying to get into ECNL.Originally posted by Guest View Post
Besides
- There is not real governing body over the entire landscape. It would be ideal if there was, with a real pyramid and promotion. relegation, but it won't every happen. And some would argue that's a monopoly.
- ECNL does not have a monopoly. Clubs and players have options
- Agree with above that this is more a coach abuse problem not the leaguesComment
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Be serious, if it is not a monopoly it is an oligopoly on the girls side with ECNL and GAL. The entire promo for ECNL clubs is "we have ECNL, you have to play for us." Same with GAL to a lesser extent. Like the OP said, it is a matter of time. Both leagues will have to open up for this one reason, they do not act in the best interest of the game or the players.Comment
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